Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21st century faery tale.

~My Review~

I am re-reading this series because the fifth and final book (Darkest Mercy) was just released.

In this story Ash is a teenage girl who has always had the sight - the ability to see the evil faeries that coexist with humans, unseen and dangerous. She lives by her grandmother's set of rules to keep her safe from the evils she can see. When Ash draws the attention on a very powerful faery boy, all of those rules are tested.

Alongside the mystery of the fey stalking Ash, we get to see her developing relationship with her friend Seth. Seth has always been her safe haven, but can Ash trust him with the truth - or with her heart? I love Seth, he's one of my all-time favourite book "heroes" (it may have something to do with being sexy and pierced).

I liked this book the first time I read it, and loved it the second time. I love Marr's writing style, I fell into the story and was wrapped up in her world. The characters are so easy to love - even the "bad" ones. The tone of the book is a bit darker, Marr doesn't pull any punches when it comes to her fey, they are creepy, beautiful, and very complex. I loved the mix of old faery mythology with her new world, it just worked perfectly for me.

This series just keeps getting better after this book, so definitely pick it up if you haven't read it yet. I looked over a few reviews and was surprised by the varying opinions. I feel as though I liked Wicked Lovely better after I read the other books, there is so much more to the story and the characters in it, that I couldn't fully appreciate the first book until I understood more about the world. That said, my original rating was 4/5 the first time I read it so it is great as a stand-alone too.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Title: Outside In

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Series: Insider, book #2

Genre: YA, Dystopian

Page Count: 320 Pages

Pub. Date: 02/22/2011

Rating: 5/5

*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

~Book’s Description From NetGalley~

ME?A LEADER?Okay, I did prove that there’s more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we’re free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again—while still touching base with Riley, of course. He’s the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there’s outside and then there is Outside.And something from Outside wants In.

~My Review~

I absolutely loved Inside Out so I had high hopes for Outside in - and boy did it deliver. I love the dystopian genre and this series has definitely brought a great new flavor to the mix.

Outside In picks up shortly after the events of Inside Out (if you haven't read I.O. yet the rest of the review will contain spoilers) in the broken world of Inside, where the oppressors have been removed but the people are far from free.

One of the things I liked most about this book was its very existence. There are so many stories where the people fight to break free from oppression/dictatorship and the story ends along with the battle for freedom, but in this book, as in the real world, we know that the battle may be won but the war is far from over. I appreciated the realistic handling of how the Scrubs reacted to being "free" - they fought, they went on strike, and they were divided without a common cause.

I was very pleased with Trella's growth as a character and the development of her relationship with Riley. Much like Inside Out there are lots of new things for Trella to discover and tough choices for her to make. We get to see more from our favourite characters, as well as some colourful new ones.

Overall I enjoyed Outside In just as much as Inside Out and would definitely recommend you pick it up on February 22nd!

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Original review posted @ Hoping4More Reviews
I actually hugged this book when it came in mail. Why? Because I knew I was about to fall in love with it, as I do with every other Rachel Vincent book I have ever read. She did it again.
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